Weekly Update 9/29

 Dear Wines Families, 

There is a lot to share today. I hope you find a moment to read through this week’s message. 

Walktober Starts Friday

Friday marks the first day of October and our annual celebration of “Walktober”. We will encourage students to walk to school each Friday in October as well as Wednesday, Oct. 6th which is International Walk to School Day. There are a few spots where kids can pick up a stamp or sticker for participating:  

Sunset & Newport

Saunders Crescent & Cooley

Riverwood & Newport

Wines Baseball Field

We are still seeking volunteers!  Please sign up here.  You are welcome to grab a friend, a dog, and/or a coffee to stamp hands and cheer on our walkers!

This year, unfortunately, we will not be able to have our busses stop at an alternate stop. However, bus students will have the opportunity to take a short walk when the arrive to school if they’d like to participate. 

Picture Day: Wednesday Oct. 6

Picture Day is next Wednesday. All students will have their picture taken, even if you are not ordering a package. Also, all Wines students receive a yearbook regardless of package purchase. You can order your package online at: inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/59580PF

Spirit Wear on Sale Now

We are pleased to announce that our online Wines "Spirt Wear" store is open! We have lots of new designs this year for both kids and adults (I'm going to replenish my supply with new designs!). The store is only open until Oct. 1st, however. Delivery goes directly to your residence. Below is a link to the online store. https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-elementary-apparel

PTO Meeting Tonight: 8:00 PM

Please join us for a review of this year’s budget and a walk through our planned program schedule. We’re still on the lookout for volunteers to lead some key committees! The Zoom link was sent in today's email.

Run-a-Thon: Sponsors Needed

Our annual Run-a-Thon is scheduled for the morning of Friday, Oct. 15th. Every Wines student participates in Run-a-Thon, every student receives a great t-shirt, and everyone has a great time!! We are looking for corporate sponsors and parent volunteers. If you have a business or know someone that does and would like to discuss sponsoring the event, please contact Andrea Burkhart at dredvm18@gmail.com. Your company’s logo will be displayed prominently on our over 400 t-shirts and on other promotional materials. You can also go directly to our square site to sponsor: https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site . There are different levels of sponsorship: 

Bronze $250

Silver $500

Gold $750

Platinum $1000

The deadline to have a logo on the shirt/materials is 10/4. You can email the logo in pdf format to dredvm18@gmail.com.

If you are interested in helping organize Run-a-Thon in advance or help during the event itself, please contact Andrea at dredvm18@gmail.com. While Run-a-Thon is a large and important event at Wines, it is actually one of the easiest events to be a volunteer and one of the most fun volunteer opportunities at Wines. Please consider helping us “re-launch” this Wines tradition!

News from the Library

Students have been excitedly checking out books since our first day of school. Now that we are settling into the checkout/return routine, students in grades 1-5 will be allowed to check out additional books. Starting in October, our book checkout limits will as follows: 

Young 5s-K: 1 book

Grades 1-3: 2 books

Grades 4-5: 3 books

Books are checked out for one week at a time and are returned in the book return bin in the library. Books may also be returned at any time to the library’s return bin. If your child forgets a library book, they will be asked to return it as soon as possible and guided to select a Community Collection (CC) book instead. These books are mostly paperbacks and are labeled with a green “CC” sticker on the front cover. They may take home and read the CC book just as they would a standard library book. Please return both the following week. If a library book has been lost, students will be asked to pay a replacement fee. CC books will not be charged replacement fees. 

For more information about library policies, please check the library website or email Mrs. Goldberg (goldbergr@aaps.k12.mi.us). 

That’s all for this week! 

David

Weekly Update 9/22

 

Dear Wines Families, 

I have quite a few announcements today. Sorry for the long message! 

Early Release Today

Just a reminder that dismissal is at 1:18 today. Busses will run as normal, just 2.5 hours earlier. 

Y5-1st Grade Device Deployment

Today, most of our Y5-1st grade students received their new “2 in 1” Chromebooks. Ms. Harris’s class and Mrs. Middleton’s class will receive their devices tomorrow (we ran out of time during this shortened day!). We told the students that they should begin to get in the habit of bringing the device to school each day and home each night. Chargers should stay at home. Over the next couple weeks we will be teaching the students how to operate these devices. If you haven’t already, please complete the brief parent technology agreement linked below. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkxCw9rcxuTWnMt5dF6lO5XutyG7BmrI9P6-fHITUuPDNXRw/viewform

PTO Meeting Sept. 29th

The first General PTO Meeting of the year will happen via Zoom, next Wednesday, September 29 at 8pm. Join us to hear about the events we have planned - fingers crossed! - for the school year, and learn how you can lend a hand. Zoom info was sent via email today.  

Picture Day

Picture Day is Wednesday, Oct. 6th. Information can be found in today's Wednesday take home folders. Also, look for more information directly from our vendor, Inter-State Studios. Every Wines student will have their picture taken regardless of if you are purchasing a package. Also, as always, every student will receive a yearbook regardless of whether you order a package.

Join us in Walktober!

Our annual celebration of “Walktober” starts next Friday! Students and families are encouraged to walk, bike, and scoot their way to school every Friday in October and on International Walk to School Day - Wednesday, October 6th.

Walktober Dates:

Friday, October 1

Wednesday, October 6 (International Walk to School Day)

Friday, October 8

Friday, October 15

Friday, October 22

Friday, October 29

Walktober is a great way to learn about pedestrian safety and healthy habits!

Collect a special stamp on the way to school on the corners of Sunset & Newport, Saunders Crescent, and Cooley Riverwood & Newport or at the Wines' Baseball Field.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO HAND OUT STAMPS! PLEASE SIGN UP HERE.

What if my student takes the bus?

On each of the Walktober Dates, bussed students will be dropped off at their normal location and will be walked around the Wines’ field.

What if we live too far away to walk?

One way to participate is to park close to the school and walk, bike, or scoot the remainder of the way!

Walktober is Sponsored by the Wines PTO.

Run-a-thon Oct. 15

We are extremely excited that one of our favorite Wines traditions (and important fundraiser) is back!! Our annual Run-a-Thon is scheduled for the morning of Friday, Oct. 15th. Every Wines student participates in Run-a-Thon, every student receives a great t-shirt, and everyone has a great time!! I will send out more specifics on the logistics of the day and the fundraising component over the next couple weeks. In the meantime, we are looking for corporate sponsors and parent volunteers. If you have a business or know someone that does and would like to discuss sponsoring the event, please contact Andrea Burkhart at dredvm18@gmail.com.

Your company’s logo will be displayed prominently on our over 400 t-shirts and on other promotional materials. 

If you are interested in helping organize Run-a-Thon in advance or help during the event itself, please contact Andrea at dredvm18@gmail.com. As I said on Curriculum Night, while Run-a-Thon is a large and important event at Wines, it is actually one of the easiest events to be a volunteer and one of the most fun volunteer opportunities at Wines. Please consider helping us “re-launch” this Wines tradition! 

Thank you! 

David

Weekly Update 9/15

 Dear Wines Families, 

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our virtual Curriculum Night last evening and for those who stayed for my Q & A. If you missed my session, there is a link below to the recording. 

https://youtu.be/F7hotpHsuh0

In addition to a couple of messages from me today, at the end of this message, there is a welcome note and information from our new PTO President Michael Newberry. Please be sure to read all the way through. 

 We Need Your Help! 

Now that we have found our rhythm at school and in the front office, we have discovered what works and what doesn’t work with for this new school year. Robin is generally alone in the office and always doing a million things at once. Therefore, we ask for your help when you need to pick your child up early. While we understand that students have appointments, etc. that require them to leave school early, we ask that in those instances, you follow these protocols: 

1. Please alert the office as soon as possible of the change in plans. You can certainly contact the teacher as well, but the office must have this information.

2. The end of the day is extremely busy in the office. Therefore, we ask that all early pick ups take place by 3:15. We will not be able to make students available for early pick up between 3:15 and the end of the school day. 

3. Please be aware of your child’s daily schedule. Most importantly, lunch time is not a time when we are able to easily find students for early pick up. 

4. We certainly understand that life “happens” and sometimes you aren’t able to follow these protocols precisely. In those instances we will do all we can to help, but we ask for your overall understanding and assistance. 

5. Finally, we do expect that students are in school for a full day daily unless there are medical/dental appointments, etc. Please limit picking your child up early to just those unavoidable instances. Picking up early for convenience, etc. is not acceptable. 

Technology Agreement

Parents, we need each family to fill out an agreement for your child’s device. A link is below. Please take a moment to read the contract and fill out the quick agreement. Everyone needs to fill this out (even if your child has not received their device yet). Your attention to this is much appreciated! 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkxCw9rcxuTWnMt5dF6lO5XutyG7BmrI9P6-fHITUuPDNXRw/viewform

News from the PTO

Hello All!

My name is Michael Newberry and I'm the President of the Wines Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). This is my family's sixth year at Wines, with kids in 5th, 4th, and 1st grades. We're excited to be back in person, and hope that these first few weeks are off to a good start for you, too. 

The PTO's job is to support the Wines student experience inside and outside the classroom. We do this through a combination of social and co-curricular events spread throughout the year, all of it fueled by volunteer and financial support from families like yours. 

All are welcome to attend PTO programs, and to join in their planning and execution. We need your help and hope you will volunteer! But no pressure - we understand that everyone's situation is different, and however you can contribute to the cause, even if it's only in spirit, is greatly appreciated. If you'd like to learn more about what we do and what we have planned for the year, I hope you can join us at one of our upcoming PTO events:

PTO Picnic @ Wines Playground

Tuesday, September 21, 6:00pm

Bring your food, drink, and family to gather and play with other Wines families. Meet some new folks and reconnect with friends you haven't seen in a while. Signups for PTO volunteer opportunities will be available.

General PTO Meeting @ Virtual Zoom Conference

Wednesday, September 29, 8:00pm

Drop in online to hear our plans for the year's events and activities, given the uncertainty of the pandemic. We'll be looking for your time, talent, and input! 

Zoom link will be sent closer to the meeting. 

Wines Runathon @ Wines Upper Elementary Playground

Friday, October 15

More details to come - our first big event of the year!

Thank you, and feel free to reach out to me at winesptopresident@gmail.com if I can be of service. Hope to see you soon. -Michael

That’s all for this week! 

David

Weekly Update 9/8

 Dear Wines Families, 

It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of our second week of school. I continue to be pleased with how things are going. Here is the news for the week:

Technology Deployment

On Tuesday, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders all received their Chromebooks. Today, our 2nd graders received theirs. Soon we will be deploying new touch screen “2 in 1” Chromebooks to our Y5-1st grades. Kids should bring their devices back and forth to school daily. The devices should come to school charged so keep the chargers at home and hopefully charge them nightly. Teachers may create a revised schedule as time goes on, but for now we want kids to get in the habit of bringing them back and forth. 

Parents, we need each family to fill out an agreement for your child’s device. A link is below. Please take a moment to read the contract and fill out the quick agreement. Everyone needs to fill this out (even if your child has not received their device yet). Your attention to this is much appreciated! 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkxCw9rcxuTWnMt5dF6lO5XutyG7BmrI9P6-fHITUuPDNXRw/viewform

In checking out the devices, we found that a number of students still had devices checked out from last year or even from the original tech deployment in March of 2020. If you have an old device at home (in any condition!!), please have your child turn it in to their teacher. 

Curriculum Night Tuesday Sept. 14

Our annual Curriculum Night will be held next Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 6:00 PM. Curriculum Night will be virtual via Zoom. Teachers will host two separate sessions (6:00 and 6:30) for families with more than one student at Wines. You are welcome to attend either session. Teachers will be presenting as grade level teams going over curriculum for the school year. Curriculum Night is not an evening to discuss individual student progress or questions about your child. Please look for Zoom invites soon. 

Fall into After-School! 

AAPS Rec & Ed is excited to offer after-school classes focused on fun, learning, movement, and discovery. For the health and safety of all participants, the AAPS Covid-19 Protocols will be followed. Registration is now open, and spots are filling quickly! Click on each class option below or visit www.aarecedonline.com. Many scholarships are available! Please call (734) 994-2300 ext. 0 for details. 

That’s all for this week! 

David

Weekly Update 9/1

 Dear Wines Families, 

Welcome to my first weekly “Wednesday Email”. While over the past few weeks, you’ve received many messages from me, now that we are in the swing of things here at school, I will return to my regular once a week communication. This will come every Wednesday. On occasion, I may send an additional note if the need arises, but I promise not to fill your inboxes with unnecessary messages. I simply ask that you do find the time to read the weekly Wednesday message, however. I also post the same message on social media. You can find it at www.winesprincipal.blogspot.com, the Wines Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wineselementary, or on our Twitter page @wineselementary. Occasionally, I forget to post the message on social media, but I always remember the email! 

Before I get into my updates, I want to express my sincere thank you for a great start. I have to admit that while I was being truthful when I’ve shared that in my 12 years at Wines, this fall brought the most excitement for me, I neglected to share that this fall also brought the most nerves out in me! I’ve been hard at work planning the new logistics of schooling during the ongoing pandemic and I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly and safely. While I’m a bit of a perfectionist and things are not yet perfect, I am really pleased with our start and big thanks for that goes to our kids, families, and staff. 

Lunch Update

I know that lunch has been an understandable source of interest and concern in our community as we re-entered school. I don’t want to repeat what I’ve said already this week, so I’ll just say this: I love outdoor lunch (and so do the students)!!! Yesterday we introduced outdoor lunch to 3rd-5th graders and today we introduced it to 2nd grade. We will plan on starting 1st grade outside tomorrow. It has gone extremely well. We are going to give Young 5’s and kindergarten students one more day in the lunchroom and introduce outside to them next week. So, by next week, all students will eat outdoors daily as the weather allows. Again, we all know that we can’t eat outdoors every day in Michigan, and so I want to reiterate that I feel very comfortable with the procedures we have in place inside as well. 

No School Friday or Monday

Just a reminder there is no school this Friday and next Monday. Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

News from the Library!

Greetings from the Wines Library. My name is Rachel Goldberg and I am delighted to be your school librarian. This week, the library has been buzzing with the energy of children excited to return to the beautiful library space. I wish you all could see them as they enter with eyes wide as they take it all in. Due to the nature of the first week schedule, not all classes visited the library this week. However, I look forward to welcoming everyone in the next few weeks. Ms. Orr, our amazing Library Clerk, is back with us on Tuesdays. 

If your child did visit the library this week, they likely checked out a library book (hooray!). If a library book makes its way into your home, please ask your young reader about what they can do to care for their library books at home. We went over a variety of scenarios in class, including some hilarious conversations about where not to read your library book. 

I am in the process of updating the library website with class schedules, updated links, and updated contact information. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email - goldbergr@aaps.k12.mi.us. I have so enjoyed meeting your children this week and I look forward to meeting parents and caregivers soon, too. 

Cub Scouts are Back!

Cub Scout Pack 3078 is back with regular, in-person meetings! The pack is open to children of all genders grades K-5. Our meetings will be held on Sunday’s outdoors at local parks at least to start this fall. Our first meeting will be on September 12, 3-5pm at a local park. If you would like more information or have questions please contact Cubmaster Seth Guikema at seth.guikema@gmail.com.

Youth Volleyball Grades 4-9

Youth Volleyball is back for both boys and girls grades 4-9. Registration is now open through September 14! Practices start the week of Oct 11 and games start October 23 (Saturdays only). Find all info at https://www.a2schools.org/Page/4393

 Note: Masks required for all in youth volleyball, regardless of vaccination status. Youth coaches must be fully-vaccinated. Questions? contact Karen at draves@a2schools.org.

That’s all for this week. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.

David